2024 was an exciting year for many people. In some ways it felt like we were advancing into the future, and in other ways it felt like we took some steps back. With shifting and historic world events occurring everyday, and the constant challenge of deciding where you stood, Cal remained a site of learning and connection.
Amid the hardships that came with the year, the Cal community has been busy. Whether it was starting their own businesses, holding conversations with current students about the state of the world, going to space, competing in the Olympics, or living their lives in a way that reflects the rich legacy of Cal, UC Berkeley alums, staff, and friends all carried the Cal spirit with them in each venture.
So much happens in a year, and as 2024 soon becomes 2025, looking back over the year helps us prepare for the next one. This year, alums did great things that led to positive impacts on the Cal community, and extended beyond Berkeley, impacting the world as a whole.
January: The Pac-12 Meltdown Sent Cal Packing across the Coast
Last year, the Pac-12 entered its last months, leading Cal to enter the ACC in the beginning of 2024 and play against new teams from the East to West.
February: Cal Athletics Honors John Carlos, Tommie Smith, and Dr. Harry Edwards
Nearly 60 years after the iconic photo of John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Cal Athletics honored the two San Jose State athletes in a Black History Month panel with Cal’s DEIBJ Alumni Leadership Council at Alumni House.
March: Will AI Be Humanity’s Last Act?
With the world becoming more and more virtual, Professor Stuart Russell sat down with California magazine Editor-in-Chief Pat Joseph during March’s California Live! event to talk about the future of artificial intelligence in our lives.
April: None Like It That Hot
The 2024 heatwave broke records worldwide. Professor of earth and planetary sciences David Romps, along with graduate student Yi-Chuan Lu M.A. ’17, Ph.D. ’23, found that the National Weather Service underestimates the temperature during massive heat waves by about 20 degrees fahrenheit.
May: Cal for All: Building an Inclusive STEM Pipeline
UC Berkeley is in the heart of one of the most diverse regions in the world, but when you look at different industries like STEM, it doesn’t reflect the diversity that we champion. In the month of May, Dr. Tsu-Jae King Liu, Dean of the UC Berkeley College of Engineering and Cathy Han ’01, founder of CAA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice (DEIBJ) Alumni Leadership Council, met for a fireside chat to discuss diversity in the STEM field.
June: To Infinity (Err, Umm, the Moon) and Beyond
Berkeley made its way to the moon. Woody Hoburg Ph.D. ’13 found his way into space this summer with the Moon or Bust Artemis Program.
July: Exit Interview with the Chancellor
Before she retired in July, Chancellor Carol Christ sat down with California magazine Editor-in- Chief Pat Joseph to reflect on her time as the university’s first woman chancellor. The two chatted about the position of chancellor, her plans for an actual retirement, and so much more.
August: Cal Athletes Let Fly at the Paris Games
Camryn Rogers ’23 took the field in Paris for the biggest games in the world, the Olympics, and took home the gold medal. Other Cal athletes shone bright on the field and in the water.
September: What If Seeing Is No Longer Believing? Democracy and Disinformation in the Age of Deepfakes
What will the future of society look like with the existence of deepfake images? California magazine Editor-in-Chief Pat Joseph sat down with Professor Hany Farid to discuss how deepfakes intersect with democracy and widespread misinformation as the world moves into the future.
October: A Season of Discontent: The 60th Anniversary of the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley
This year marked the 60th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement. The protest by then–graduate student, Jack Weinberg, sparked a campus wide movement of civil rights. At the time editors of the California Monthly magazine had confounding views on the incident, but it opened the floor for Cal to be part of a larger conversation that we are still part of today. The Bay Area has always been home to amazing efforts and movements that help drive culture forward, and in 2024, Cal is still part of the discourse on free speech.
November: A Survival Guide for Difficult Conversations in Light of the 2024 Election
While Dr. Erika Weissinger Ph.D ’13 was leading a discussion in her Constructive Dialogue in Public Policy course, she noticed how students were reluctant to engage in conversations in class. This year, Dr. Weissinger launched the Constructive Dialogue Initiative to help the UC Berkeley campus become a hub for constructive dialogue, a conversation where people can understand opposing views without giving up their own beliefs. The lead-up to this year’s election season was characterized by uncertainty and tension for people across the political spectrum. Dr. Weissinger created a space that allowed students to feel safe in their opinions on the future of society.
December: Please Allow Him to Introduce Himself. California Magazine’s Interview with Chancellor Lyons
From student, to dean and now Chancellor, Rich Lyons returns to Berkeley. Lyons has gone from being a student, faculty member at the Haas School of Business to now becoming Chancellor of the entire university. To commemorate his new role, he sat down with California Magazine editor in chief, Pat Joseph to talk about entering this new life stage and what is coming for him in the future.
“People ask, ‘What’s your next aspiration? Do you want to be president of this or that university?’ Or, you know, ‘Do you want to be a politician?’ No, I don’t! This is my place. This is the place that transformed my life, and that’s what keeps me locked in.”
2024 brought so many amazing things to the community of Cal alumni, from Olympic champions and conversations around AI, to Cal’s Free Speech Movement history and events to celebrate athletes who fought for civil rights for all. The Cal Alumni Association is honored to highlight each of these stories as a way to look back on how far we have come in the year. As we enter 2025, we can’t wait to see what else the powerful Golden Bears have to offer.
